How one of the oldest natural insecticides keeps mosquitoes away
A new study has identified a scent receptor in mosquitoes that helps them sniff out and avoid trace amounts of pyrethrum, a plant extract used for centuries to repel biting insects. These findings could help researchers develop new broad spectrum rep.....»»
Brazil needs a new approach to measure climate migration
Devastating floods led to more than 175 deaths and 423,000 people displaced in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul in May. It was the state's worst natural catastrophe in almost a century, but Brazil is no stranger to mass population mo.....»»
Colombian mosquito factory fights dengue and disinformation
The jars of larvae in stagnant water and thick clouds of mosquitoes at a Colombian lab may seem like the stuff of nightmares. They are in fact crucial to a project to fight the spread of dengue fever......»»
A reduction in Iberian pork preservatives is achieved thanks to a yeast
In the face of European regulations mandating salt and nitrite reductions in food, a team from the University of Cordoba has tested the potential of a yeast as a natural preservative in Iberian pork loin from the Pedroches Valley. The findings are pu.....»»
Make It Circular at Maker Faire Rome 2024
Do you have a project on sustainability, reuse and saving natural resources? MakeITcircular at Maker Faire Rome promotes the Circular Consumption Charter and the values of recycling, reuse and co-design. Share your project for the chance to win 3000.....»»
When it comes to sustainability reporting, it depends on how serious companies are about making change
Companies are facing pressure to become more open about how they do business. With income inequality, governance failures and the mismanagement of natural resource capital threatening both society and the environment, there are growing calls for more.....»»
The greening of planes, trains, and automobiles
We need new fuels as society moves away from coal, natural gas and oil. Enlarge (credit: Petmal / Getty Images) As the world races to decarbonize everything from the electricity grid to industry, it faces particular prob.....»»
Oldest living culture: Our new research shows an Indigenous ritual passed down for 500 generations
We often hear that Aboriginal peoples have been in Australia for 65,000 years, "the oldest living cultures in the world." But what does this mean, given all living peoples on Earth have an ancestry that goes back into the mists of time?.....»»
How listening for the right buzz keeps mosquitoes from mating with the wrong species
Researchers from Nagoya University in Japan have uncovered how the yellow fever mosquito and Asian tiger mosquito distinguish their own species from others. Males from these species listen for the specific frequencies of sound made by the flapping wi.....»»
To save bees, scientists say focus on habitat first, then pesticides
Worldwide, hedgerows and wild grass in field margins which previously served as semi-natural habitats are being swallowed up into agricultural production. While scientists have suggested both pesticide use and habitat loss are detrimental to pollinat.....»»
Grasses in the fog: Plants support life in the desert
Researchers from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment (SHEP) at the University of Tübingen and the Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Görlitz have studied the role of the desert grass Stipagrostis sabulicola in the Afr.....»»
These oldest inhabited termite mounds have been active for 34,000 years
Scientists in South Africa have been stunned to discover that termite mounds that are still inhabited in an arid region of the country are more than 30,000 years old, meaning they are the oldest known active termite hills......»»
World"s oldest artwork discovered in Indonesian cave
It may not look like much—just a flaking image of three people around a big red pig......»»
Dealing with a taboo: Do hunting and fishing bring us closer to nature?
Buying fish, sausage or meat saves you from breaking a social taboo in some industrialized nations, especially when hunting and fishing are conducted for recreation. In a perspective article in Nature Sustainability, a research team from the natural.....»»
Discovering new anti-aging secrets from the world"s longest-living vertebrate
New experimental research shows that muscle metabolic activity may be an important factor in the incredible longevity of the world's oldest living vertebrate species—the Greenland shark. These findings may have applications for conservation of this.....»»
Team plans 3D modeling project for France"s natural history collections
France's natural history collections contain nearly 6% of the world's total natural specimens across multiple institutions, and the e-COL+ project aims to capture and reconstruct these specimens in 3D for easy access and 3D printing around the world......»»
Can’t stop your cat from scratching the furniture? Science has some tips
Aggressive scratching is a stress response; small children are a common source of stress Enlarge / Ariel and Caliban learned as kittens that scratching posts were fair game for their natural claw-sharpening instincts. (credit: Se.....»»
Greener, more effective termite control: Natural compound attracts wood eaters
UC Riverside scientists have discovered a highly effective, nontoxic, and less expensive way to lure hungry termites to their doom......»»
Astro Bot will reference one of PlayStation’s oldest memes
An interview with the makers of the upcoming Astro Bot sneaks in a reference that'll give PlayStation fans from 2006 a ton of nostalgia......»»
Biologist calls for protection and more studies of natural time capsules of climate change
Packrats, also known as woodrats, are the original hoarders, collecting materials from their environment to make their nests, called middens. In deserts throughout western North America, for instance, packrat middens can preserve plants, insects, bon.....»»
Butterflies, bees, bugs and more: The summer of insect-counting gets underway in Germany
In a strip of greenery between Berlin's Natural History Museum and a busy street, bumble bees move swiftly between flowers while a ladybug makes its way along a leaf full of aphids and bugs crawl about......»»